


The Last Farewell

by ElDiablito_SF



Category: Les Trois Mousquetaires | The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Genre: Depressing, Don't Read This, Gen, This will make you cry, Vicomte de Bragelonne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-20 18:19:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/890363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElDiablito_SF/pseuds/ElDiablito_SF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Exactly what it says in the title (this is the same title as the eponymous book chapter in the last book).</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Farewell

**Author's Note:**

>   The notes will be longer than the fic.  There is no reason for this.  Certainly no reason other than what [](http://speak-me-fair.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://speak-me-fair.livejournal.com/)**speak_me_fair**   and I were discussing earlier today and my own shitty mood.  I was kind of angry that Dumas left me all of two seconds of "space" which I could possibly fill with this shmoop and angst, but I had my revenge by stealing the chapter title from him!  So, basically, now Aramis is going to fuck off to Belle Isle with soon-to-be-dead Porthos and Athos will stay home and die of Raoul-related grief.  But first, this.

            Having receiving absolution from the only man who mattered, what more remained to be said?  With Raoul discretely removing himself and Porthos back in the saddle, Aramis walked back towards Athos with anvil-weighed steps, and embraced him.

            “Aramis,” the other man whispered, his arms palpably shaking as he wrapped them around his comrade for what felt very much like the last time.  “I…”

            “Don’t,” the prelate begged.  “This is not good-bye.”

            “It feels like good-bye.”  Athos felt himself unable to let the other man go.  “Forty years,” he whispered.  “I don’t know what to say.  We spoke of everything else.”

            “And about thirty of those forty years ago, I made you a promise,” Aramis whispered back, his face hidden in his friend’s long, graying hair.  “And I shall keep it.”

            “Aramis, don’t go,” the other man sighed more than spoke.

            “I have always loved you and I always will.”  With these words, Aramis broke their embrace and looked warily back towards the horses.

            “Thank you for coming here.”

            “Thank you for the horses.”  Aramis knew if he tarried another moment, all would be lost for all three of them.  He felt a familiar grip of a hand on his arm.

            “That can’t be the last thing you ever say to me.”

            “I will write,” Aramis responded, his voice no longer steady.  He quickly mounted, fully aware that the hand of Athos still held the bridles of his horse, in much the same way it always held his own life.

            “I will find you,” Athos said, louder, in part speaking to Porthos as well, though his eyes never left the two glowing orbs of the man who had once been his entire world.  “I will find you again, in this world, or the next.”

            “And I you.”

            It was so much less than what he wanted to say, but it was the only thing that truly mattered. He put spurs to his mount and led the way out of the gates for Porthos, who followed him, as he always had, without a shadow of any doubt, and always with an open heart. _I shall never see you more.  I shall always love you._   _In saecula saeculorum._

  

\--------------

And if that wasn't depressing ENOUGH, you can go read Rio's revenge fic ["Never Time" ](http://speak-me-fair.livejournal.com/281836.html)  
 

**Author's Note:**

> This is not part of my Snippets in Time series because Nope. Just nope. Alex, you ruined my life! Dammit.


End file.
